Cold, Hard Rain
by aries03
Summary: A year has passed since Denny's death. Can Izzie move on?
1. Chapter 1

She sat alone on the bench outside of SGH. A cold wind was blowing against her back. The dark grey clouds lingering overhead threatened to open up at any moment. None of this mattered. It had been a year…almost to the second…since her first true love had passed away. Every day, her heart still ached. Yes, she gets up every morning and does her very best to fake a smile, but nothing has really, truly filled the void left in the depths of her heart. She feels a cool touch on the back of her shoulder.

"Izzie, are you okay?"

"Fine. I'm fine."

"It would be okay if you weren't, you know?"

He sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She instinctively laid her head down on his. She could feel his warmth radiating from his sweater. In the midst of her misery, the warmth felt so good.

"Since when have you been the overly caring one?"

"Hey…even the 'evil spawns' of the world care once in awhile…when it really matters."

"It's just been a year, you know?"

"I know."

"Hey, Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for your support and all, but I think I would rather be alone for awhile."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, but I'll be at Joe's if you change your mind."

He gave her a supportive kiss on the top of her forehead, lingering long enough to notice the smell of her hair. He hoped she didn't notice, but he never could resist the smell of her hair. It smelled like lavender. She must be using Meredith's shampoo again.

She walked him walk away. For a split second, she got lost in the moment and forgot about her pain. _Why does he always make me feel better?_ She even smirked briefly before the rain started to fall. The cold, hard rain brought her back into the cold reality of why she was sitting there in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

A half an hour had passed, and she was still sitting alone on the bench while the cold, hard rain battled against her. For awhile, she couldn't even feel it pattering against her. Her emotions blinded her from the rest of the world as she stared off into space. A crash of lightning in the distance snapped her back. She had to find shelter before the storm moved any closer.

She slipped into Joe's undetected by any of her friends and colleagues sitting at the bar. She slid into a deserted booth at the far end of the building. Hopefully she'd be able to stay invisible until the storm cleared. She watched her friends from across the room. They all looked so happy, so content. They were laughing, joking, just having an all-around good time without her. It made her feel so lonely. She stared down at her hands, trying to avoid seeing everyone else so happy. She didn't notice him slip into the booth across from her.

"So you changed your mind after all?"

The voice caused her to jump three feet into the air. She was taken a-back and really didn't know what to say at the moment.

"Alex, you shouldn't hang around with me. You were having such a good time over there."

"And I can have just as good of a time here with you."

"No you can't. Don't worry. After the storm clears, I'll be gone."

He reached across the table and grabs her hands. She glances up and looks into his eyes…his beautiful eyes. All she could see at that moment was that sparkle of caring in his beautiful eyes.

"Now you listen to me, Izzie Stevens. You may be feeling a little down right now. You may feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and that's okay. It's to be expected right now, but there is nowhere else I'd rather be. That's what friends are for. You hear me?"

She just nods. _Why is he such a good friend to me?_ He gives her hand a little squeeze, and she squeezes her hand back. Some people don't believe her when she says Alex is a good person with a kind heart, but she has no doubt. He always has a way of showing up when needed.

"Come on, Izzie. My car is right outside so you don't have to walk in the storm. Let's get you out of her before the others come over and try to cheer you up." 

"Yeah. That's probably the last thing I need right now…a hoard of people surrounding me."

He wraps his arms around her shoulders once more and ushers her outside. The drive home was silent, but both knew there was no reason for talking at the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

He walked her into the house. She pulled him close and brought her lips to his. She didn't know why she did it. Just an hour ago she was sitting in the cold , hard rain mourning the loss of her first true love, but something inside of her ached to be loved, held. She pulled him even closer.

He got overwhelmed in the moment. For a second, he forgot why he was there. Her lips felt so good against his. He missed her. They used to be so good together. He ran his hand up her back. The temperature of the room was steadily increasing.

Outside, a bolt of lightning crashed down, hitting a tree a couple houses down. The boom echoed throughout the neighborhood, and the windows rattled. The sound broke the tension that was building, and Alex quickly pulled away.

"What's the matter, Alex? Don't you want this?"

"Izzie, no. It isn't that I don't want this. It's that it can't happen. I am not who you want to be holding you right now. I am just the one that is here, and I won't take advantage of that."

"But _I_ want this."

"You think you do. I might have the reputation of being a man whore, but I refuse to take advantage of our friendship and do something you'd regret in the morning."

Disappointed, she slumps down onto the couch. _He's right. I hate that he's right._ She looks around at the otherwise empty house. Meredith's house. An overwhelming silence comes over her and takes her breathe away.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"As much as I don't want to be surrounded by a hoard of people, I really don't want to be alone any more tonight. Can you at least stay?"

"Of course I can."

He sits down on the couch beside her. She pulls his arm back around her and rests her head back onto his shoulder. They both fall asleep side by side as the storm crashes on around them.


	4. Chapter 4

He awakes in the middle of the night and notices her still wrapped up in his arm. His fingers start to tingle as he gently slides his arm out. He retrieves a pillow and blanket from the storage closet and tucks her in on the couch. He would have carried her upstairs, but he didn't want to startle her. The night has grown silent. The storm has passed. _If only my heart could be as silent._

A slight rustling in the background causes him to turn to see an unexpected visitor in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Meredith…"

"Alex."

She says with a knowing smirk on her face. She takes a small sip of her coffee before letting out a giggle.

"…Meredith, how long have you been standing there?"

"Just a couple of minutes. I think it's cute."

"What?"

"You. _You_ _still love her_."

He was taken a-back. The phrase knocked the wind completely out of him. He looked at Meredith in complete and utter shock before turning to look at Izzie. _Man…is she ever beautiful._ The soft, gentle moonlight caressed her golden hair and made it sparkle. She looked so innocent, so at peace, resting on the couch. For the slightest moment, he forgot about Meredith standing there. Then, he turned back with a look of guilt on his face. He shouldn't be feeling this way about Izzie. She's still grieving.

"Don't worry, Alex, I won't tell anyone AND I won't tell Izzie."

She let out another giggle before retreating back into the kitchen. He stood there is silence watching the door swing back and forth. The rhythm of the swing echoed the beating of his heart. His body melted into unison with the environment very briefly in order for him to avoid thoughts he did not want to think about. _How can I be falling in love with someone who cannot love me back?_

He grabbed a second blanket from the storage closet and slinked down into the armchair adjacent to the couch. He drifted back to sleep while being serenaded by the sounds of her breathing next to him.


End file.
